Articles in the Coffee Bay Category
Posted in Coffee Bay, Wild Coast on 22 September 2008
Seen in many regards as the Wild Coast’s “second town” Coffee Bay today is bustling with visitors from all over - especially young travelers and backpackers who come to take in the ambiance of the place and mix with some interesting locals.
Accommodation choices are somewhat limited between the choice of one hotel - the upmarket Ocean View, rondavels or backpackers for the more adventurous.
Way back when:
It’s not quite known where Coffee Bay got its name from, but according to TV Bulpin’s Discovering South Africa, the name comes from a ship that was wrecked there in 1863, depositing its entire cargo of coffee beans on the beach. Some beans are said to have taken root. For several years they tried to grow there, but eventually gave up. Three small rivers, the Nenga, (river of the whale), Bomvu (red) and Maphuzi (place of pumpkins) reach the sea in the area of Coffee Bay. Local residents also refer to it as Tshontini, the name applied to a dense wood there.
Hole-In-The-Wall was named so by Captain Vidal of the Barracouta, who surveyed the coast, in 1823.
GPS coordinates: S31.98705 E29.147386
How to get there from East London:
Take the N2 to Mthatha and drive for approximately 170km until you reach the Viedgesville turn-off. Turn right. Continue down this road for 75 kilometres until you hit Coffee Bay.
The road there:
The road to Coffee Bay is tarred, but watch out for potholes as well as the frequent stray animal.
Paid and stayed:
The Anchorage Hotel near Mthatha Mouth. Good hospitality and clean sheets, but very average in terms of accommodation.
Must eat:
Raptor’s View between Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall. Owned by Transkei legend Spud Murray, Raptor’s View serves up fine home-style cooking and the best view to enjoy your food. Murray’s wife Dee makes a particularly good burger with locally-baked bread and home-made patties.
Tourist friendly rating: 3/5
Locals only:
Take a walk on the splendid beach at Coffee Bay or a drive out to Hole-in-the-Wall. Meet the interesting characters hanging around in Coffee Bay including carpenter Mike Conig, Italian clothing designer Fabiano Viero and Phil Voster.
A must see is the mussel rehabilitation porgramme run by Hole-in-the Wall local Jeff Brown and the surrounding community.
Must do:
Stay at one of Coffee Bay’s backpackers and hang with the locals. Meet former East London surfer extraordinaire Dave Malherbe and his partner Belinda, who runs the place and perhaps glean some local surfing knowledge from Dave. Go to Raptor’s View to meet Spud Murray.
Posted in Coffee Bay, On the road, Wild Coast on 5 September 2008
Spud Murray (he has other names but he hasn’t used them in years) is a man with hands like bear claws and calluses on his fingers and palms. His voice is deep and gruff from years of smoking and his face weather-beaten from thousands of hours in the sun.
For the last 42 years, Murray is the man responsible for building most of the roads that criss-cross the former Transkei region. (more…)
Posted in Coffee Bay, On the road, Wild Coast on 4 September 2008
He may be 71, but Mike Conig has no intention of moving into an old age home and “killing time” in a rocking chair.
“I arrived in Coffee Bay five years ago to do a job on some guy’s ceiling…I never left. Most people move to an old age home when they hit 66 – I went fishing.”
A jack-of-all trades who has worked as an insurance underwriter and even in a hospital (to name a few), Mike only discovered late in life he had a talent for carpentery – and now makes handcrafted rocking chairs and other furniture. (more…)
Posted in Coffee Bay, On the road, Wild Coast on 4 September 2008
“Yo dude, your arm is on fire,” some feral mystic muttered as the whole bar at the Coffee Shack stepped back to watch my impromptu pyrotechnics show.
(4.71 out of 5)